– India’s extreme poverty rate plunged from 27.1% to 2.6% between 2011 and 2023, lifting an estimated 496 million people out of poverty, the World Bank said in its October 2026 Poverty and Equity Brief. The Bank called it “one
– At least three people were killed after Cyclone Arnab struck India’s eastern coast, making landfall in Andhra Pradesh early on Wednesday, Reuters reported. More than 180,000 people had been evacuated across Andhra Pradesh and Odisha as the very severe
– South Korea’s monthly exports reached a record $115.3 billion in October, up 93.7% from a year earlier, as semiconductor sales surged. Data released on Sunday by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources showed chip exports alone soaring 259%
– Kenya aims to raise its annual coffee output to 150,000 metric tonnes, with new climate-resilient varieties expected to play a central role. Production is projected at about 60,000 metric tonnes in the 2025/2026 season, well short of that target.
– Germany’s new electric vehicle registrations surged 58% to 604,000 in the first nine months of 2026, helping lift global battery-electric vehicle registrations to a record 11 million, according to PwC. Worldwide registrations rose 12% over the period, driven mainly
– Brent crude rose above $115 a barrel on Wednesday as traders reacted to reports of possible renewed US strikes on Iran. Brent futures climbed $1.48, or 1.3%, to $115.36 by 01:40 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose
– Microsoft is offering a voluntary exit package to about 27% of its workforce as it seeks to fund a costly AI infrastructure expansion while protecting capital efficiency. The offer, announced on Monday, applies to certain employees in the United
– South Korea’s current account surplus reached $116.63 billion in the second quarter, the second-largest among major economies after China, central bank data showed. The surplus was larger than those of Germany and Japan combined, Yonhap News Agency reported. China
Travel
– Türkiye has set its sights on becoming the sixth-highest-earning tourism country in the world, according to its 2027 central government budget draft. Anadolu Agency reported that the draft allocates $244.5 million to tourism, compared with $188.4 million this year.
– Air Arabia will start nonstop flights from Sharjah International Airport to Amman City Airport on November 15, 2026. The carrier will operate the route four times a week. The service will add another direct connection between the United Arab
– Air Arabia will restart daily nonstop flights between Ras Al Khaimah and Kozhikode on October 16, 2026. The service restores a direct connection between the UAE emirate and the southern Indian state of Kerala. Bookings are already available through
– flydubai presented its growing Levant route network at the Syria Travel Show in Damascus as the regional low-cost carrier expands direct connectivity between the United Arab Emirates and key Syrian commercial hubs. Participating in the event hosted under the